Race for Mt Prov top positions: Survey notes Dominguez, Mayaen lead; Manao, suspense mode

    

By Gina Dizon 

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- A survey conducted by  the  Montanosa  Press Club  showed  former Sabangan mayor and congressional candidate engineer  Jupiter  Dominguez  clamping  32 percent of total respondents  interviewed  in six towns of the province lording in his hometown  in Sabangan.

Rival incumbent congressman  lawyer MaximoDalog  garnered a total 22% of total interviewed 546 respondents getting sizable votes from his hometown in Bauko.

Congressional  aspirant engineer   Roy  Manao  who  clinched 10 percent of the total respondents’ choices cornered  Barlig respondents’ preference.

Manao, former  undersecretary of the Department of  Public Works and Highways  who traces his  roots from Barlig, Natonin and Paracelis may or may not set the trend  in eastern towns.

Barlig already  showed  voters’ preference for their  townmateManao but while this is so, survey in Natonin and Paracelis is pending.

Come election day on May 13, anything can happen with  the undecided and unresponsive 24 percent who don’twant to  reveal their  congressional choices whether they will go for  Dominguez, Dalog or Manao.

In the gubernatorial  race,  incumbent governor  lawyer  Leonard Mayaen was ahead  against  rival-aspirants  engineer Arnulfo Pilando and  businessman Harry Dominguez  in six towns  surveyed.  

Results showed  Mayaen  raking  47 percent of the total  546 respondents interviewed  lording in his hometown in  Besao and  Bauko where he grew up. 

Baguio-based  Pilando with 18 percent of respondents  favoring him  lorded over in his hometown in Sabangan.

An undecided and unresponsive 30 percent of the total respondents may mean voters  going to either  candidate. 

Random sampling of  six respondents per  barangay  were  taken by  student-volunteers  from the  Benguet State University’s   Development  Communication  interns who  interviewed respondents from Bontoc and  Sagada. 

Volunteers from the Mountain Province Youth Alliance  (MPYA)  conducted survey in the eastern town of Barlig  and  Sadanga while  youth volunteers from Sabangan, Sagada, and Bauko conducted the survey in  Sabangan, Bauko and Besao. 

A total of 546 respondents  were interviewed in  91 barangays  of 144 barangays in Mountain Province. 

With  20 to 50 percent of  respondents who did not want to reveal their choices  in the gubernatorial and congressional slates in six towns covered, choices may  sway  from  one  aspirant to another; or  voters  may have their  choices but  don’t want to reveal citing reasons of  being  “undecided” while others  are perceived o be fearful of  letting their  choices  known.

For Sanguniang Panlalawigan slate for  District  2 in four  towns Sagada, Besao,Sabangan,andBauko, top favorites were Randolph Awisan, Romeo Pagedped, Winston Calde, Jose Tanggacan, Francis Tauli,  William Beswilan, Pancho  Reyes, and NoeMalinias.

Favorite board members for District 2 were incumbent Alfonso Kiatong, Florence Taguiba, Johnny  Lausan,  Raul Lapon, Steve Afuyog, CarinoTamang and Angelo Fongafong  as top choices in said survey covering  Barlig and Bontoc.